Men's Volleyball

Rogers, Dalhausser Defeat Swiss Team for First Olympic Win

Aug 11, 2008

Aug. 11, 2008

Story courtesy of USA Volleyball

BEIJING, China -
The U.S. beach volleyball team of Todd Rogers and Phil Dalhausser took its first victory of the Olympic Games on Monday, defeating Switzerland's Sascha Heyer and Patrick Heuscher, 21-15, 21-10 in 42 minutes in a pool play match at the Chaoyang Park Beach Volleyball Ground.

After losing to Latvia's 23rd-ranked Martins Plavins and Aleksandrs Samoilovs, Dalhausser and Rogers, ranked second, improved their pool play record to 1-1. They will face Argentina's Mariano Joaquin Baracetti and Martin Alejo Conde on at 9 a.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 13 for the chance to advance to the Round of 16. All the teams in Pool B are now tied at 1-1.

"It was a much better game on our side," Rogers said. "Considering how poorly we played against Latvia, it felt very, very good."

Showing a return to the form they displayed when they won three straight SWATCH FIVB World Tour Events in June and July, Dalhausser and Rogers dominated the match, scoring on 23 kills, seven blocks, and four aces. Heyer and Heuscher scored on 18 kills and two aces with no blocks.

The 6-foot-9 Dalhausser dominated at the net, accounting for all seven blocks in the match.

"Phil is Swiss/German, but he was not kind," joked Heuscher.

"I felt a lot springier today. My legs felt good," Dalhausser said. "They felt heavier on Saturday. It was good to have them back."

With the score tied 5-5, Dalhausser and Rogers scored three straight points to take an 8-5 lead. A Heuscher kill made it 8-6, but Rogers served for three more points on his own kill and two Dalhausser blocks to put the set out of reach.

Heyer and Heuscher led the second set 5-3 when Rogers got the serve again on his own kill down the middle. He served an ace to tie the score, then served for three more points to give the United States the 8-5 lead.

Dalhausser and Rogers maintained the three-point lead until it was 12-9 and Rogers got the serve after his kill down the line. He served for four more points, including two more Dalhausser blocks to put the U.S. ahead 17-9. Heyer scored one more point on a tip through Dalhausser's block. But Rogers scored the next point with a kill and Dalhausser scored the final three points of the match on two aces and a block.